Follow-up: Illegal Dumping Near Idyllwild
April 14, 2010
An illegal dump site along Hwy. 74 will be cleaned up soon
By Marcia E. Gawecki
The operator at Riverside County Code Enforcement said that she’d contact a police officer about the massive dumpsite along Highway 74 near Idyllwild. (See blog article posted on March 30, 2010). There was a front-load washer, two armchairs, a mattress, an old TV and several tires among the debris there.
“Since it’s not a residence with a parcel number, we have to contact a code enforcement officer,” she said. She would have Officer Carol Foray call back.
She was quick about it. Officer Foray asked about the contents of the site, the general area and the mile marker, which was no. 52.
“I’ll take a GPS device and try and figure out the coordinates of that parcel,” she said. “Someone owns it.”
The next step, she said, would be to send a cleanup notice to the owners, and they’d have 30 days to clean it up.
“The owners may live out of the area, and more than likely, they don’t know about the dump site. We have to give them time to send someone to clean it up. They are entitled to due process,” Officer Foray said.
Ordinance 541.5, which was enacted recently, gives Code Enforcement officers an expedited way of dealing with illegal dumping, she said, without having to get permission from the County Board of Supervisors.
“Idyllwild is unusual because it is an unincorporated area in Riverside County. There is no mayor, so the County Board of Supervisors acts as the governing body,” she said. “With this ordinance, we don’t have to contact them every time we find an illegal dump site.”
Mile Marker 52/83 pinpoints the exact dump location
Two days later, Officer Foray called back requesting more detailed information on the location.
“I’ve been up and down that highway, and cannot find the illegal dumping location,” she said. “Mile marker 52 stretches an entire mile, which is a long way with many pullouts.”
She requested the tenth of a mile numbers located on the same mile marker. It would help her pinpoint the exact location.
The Idyllwild resident who first reported finding the illegal dumpsite said that it was mile marker 52/83.
“It’s at the widest part of the pullout at mile marker 52/83,” she said. “If you stand at that point, you can see it immediately over the edge. But if the officer goes to mile marker 52/97, she’s gone too far.”
When asked what the fine would be for a site of that magnitude, Officer Foray wouldn’t speculate. She referred all further media questions to Hector, her supervisor.
To report illegal dumping in the Idyllwild area, contact (951) 600-6140.
To help eliminate your household hazardous waste, visit the Idyllwild Area Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event on May 15 at the County Road Yard located at 25780 Johnson Road. There, you can bring computers, old cans of paint, and other household hazardous materials to donate, without having to go to Lamb Canyon and pay a disposal fee. For more information, visit www.rivcowm.org.
Copyright 2010 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.
